kids encyclopedia robot

Mount Mitchell facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Mount Mitchell
Mount-mitchell-south-nc1.jpg
Mount Mitchell, viewed from Mount Craig
Highest point
Elevation 6,684 ft (2,037 m)
Prominence 6,089 ft (1,856 m)
Isolation 1,189 miles (1,914 km)
Listing
Geography
Mount Mitchell is located in North Carolina
Mount Mitchell
Mount Mitchell
Location in North Carolina
Mount Mitchell is located in the United States
Mount Mitchell
Mount Mitchell
Location in the United States
Location Yancey County, North Carolina, United States
Parent range Appalachian Mountains
Topo map USGS Mount Mitchell
Climbing
Easiest route Hike

Mount Mitchell, known in Cherokee as Attakulla, is the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains and the highest peak in mainland eastern North America. It is located near Burnsville in Yancey County, North Carolina; in the Black Mountain subrange of the Appalachians, about 19 miles (31 km) northeast of Asheville. It is protected by Mount Mitchell State Park and surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest. Mount Mitchell's elevation is 6,684 feet (2,037 m) above sea level.

Geography

MountMitchellSurveyorsMark
Surveyor's mark embedded in the observation tower notes the elevation of 6684 feet above sea level

The peak is the highest mountain in the United States east of the Mississippi River, and the highest in all of eastern North America south of the Arctic Cordillera. The nearest higher peaks are in the Black Hills of South Dakota and the highland foothills of Colorado.

History

The mountain, previously known as Black Dome for its rounded shape, was named after Elisha Mitchell, a professor at the University of North Carolina, who first explored the Black Mountain region in 1835, and determined that the height of the range exceeded by several hundred feet that of Mount Washington in New Hampshire, commonly thought at the time to be the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains. Mitchell fell to his death at nearby Mitchell Falls in 1857, having returned to verify his earlier measurements.

A 4.6-mile (7.4 km) road (NC 128) connects the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway to a parking lot where a steep paved 980-foot (300 m) trail leads through a conifer forest to the summit. The 40-foot (12 m) stone observation tower on the summit was torn down in late 2006. A new observation deck was constructed and opened to visitors in January 2009. Also on the summit is the tomb of Dr. Mitchell.

Mount Mitchell was formed during the Precambrian when marine deposits were metamorphosed into gneiss and schist. These metasedimentary rocks were later uplifted during the Alleghenian orogeny. The soils are well drained, dark brown and stony with fine-earth material ranging in texture from sandy clay loam to loam or sandy loam; Burton and Craggey are the most common series around the summit.

Gallery

Mount Mitchell view
360-degree panorama from the summit of Mount Mitchell

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Monte Mitchell para niños

kids search engine
Mount Mitchell Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.